Subscribe
New Defense Secretary Mark Esper, left, Army Col. James Tuite, and President Donald Trump inspect U.S. military troops during a ceremony honoring Esper on the Pentagon parade grounds on Thursday. Esper was sworn in as Trump's second Pentagon chief on Tuesday, ending a more than seven month period in which the Defense Department was led by acting leaders.

New Defense Secretary Mark Esper, left, Army Col. James Tuite, and President Donald Trump inspect U.S. military troops during a ceremony honoring Esper on the Pentagon parade grounds on Thursday. Esper was sworn in as Trump's second Pentagon chief on Tuesday, ending a more than seven month period in which the Defense Department was led by acting leaders. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

New Defense Secretary Mark Esper, left, Army Col. James Tuite, and President Donald Trump inspect U.S. military troops during a ceremony honoring Esper on the Pentagon parade grounds on Thursday. Esper was sworn in as Trump's second Pentagon chief on Tuesday, ending a more than seven month period in which the Defense Department was led by acting leaders.

New Defense Secretary Mark Esper, left, Army Col. James Tuite, and President Donald Trump inspect U.S. military troops during a ceremony honoring Esper on the Pentagon parade grounds on Thursday. Esper was sworn in as Trump's second Pentagon chief on Tuesday, ending a more than seven month period in which the Defense Department was led by acting leaders. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

President Donald Trump speaks Thursday, July 25, 2019, outside the Pentagon during an ceremony honoring his new secretary of defense, Mark Esper, who was sworn in as Pentagon chief on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump speaks Thursday, July 25, 2019, outside the Pentagon during an ceremony honoring his new secretary of defense, Mark Esper, who was sworn in as Pentagon chief on Tuesday. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

President Donald Trump shake Defense Secretary Mark Esper's hand on Thursday during a ceremony in honor of Esper being sworn in this week as Pentagon chief.

President Donald Trump shake Defense Secretary Mark Esper's hand on Thursday during a ceremony in honor of Esper being sworn in this week as Pentagon chief. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

Defense Secretary Mark Esper holds his hand over his heart during the playing of the national anthem Thursday outside the Pentagon. Esper was honored by President Donald Trump in a ceremony marking his swearing in as the 27th Pentagon chief this week.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper holds his hand over his heart during the playing of the national anthem Thursday outside the Pentagon. Esper was honored by President Donald Trump in a ceremony marking his swearing in as the 27th Pentagon chief this week. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

President Donald Trump is pictured on the Pentagon parade field on Thursday, July 25, 2019.

President Donald Trump is pictured on the Pentagon parade field on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who was sworn into office this week, speaks during a ceremony in his honor on the Pentagon parade field Thursday.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who was sworn into office this week, speaks during a ceremony in his honor on the Pentagon parade field Thursday. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

U.S. troops are pictured behing President Donald Trump outside the Pentagon on Thursday, July 25, 2019. The president was delivering remarks in honor of his new defense secretary, Mark Esper.

U.S. troops are pictured behing President Donald Trump outside the Pentagon on Thursday, July 25, 2019. The president was delivering remarks in honor of his new defense secretary, Mark Esper. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump expressed confidence in his newly installed defense secretary Thursday morning as the commander in chief hosted an honor ceremony just outside the Pentagon for Mark Esper.

“Secretary Esper, your lifetime of noble service has prepared you for this immense responsibility. And that’s what it is: immense responsibility,” Trump said standing in front of a large formation of troops from each service. “I have no doubt — I know you well — that you will thrive in the performance of your duties and make all Americans – everybody in this great country – very, very proud.”

An honor parade, cannon fire and military music on the Pentagon’s parade field marked Esper’s arrival Thursday as Trump’s second defense secretary. It was the first such full honor ceremony for a new defense secretary in recent years, according to defense officials.

Esper was sworn into office as the 27th defense secretary Tuesday after he was confirmed to fill the long-vacant position by a 90-8 Senate vote earlier that day. Esper, who most recently served as Army secretary, is a U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduate and former Army infantry officer who has worked on Capitol Hill and as a top lobbyist for Raytheon, a major defense contracting company.

His swearing in Tuesday in a private White House ceremony marked the end of an unprecedented seven months in which the U.S. military was led by acting defense secretaries. Esper replaces Jim Mattis, who left the Pentagon on Dec. 31 after resigning in protest over some of Trump’s policies.

Esper on Thursday listed a series of challenges that he and the military are facing throughout the world, including an increasingly aggressive Iran and ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and in the Middle East. He vowed to build a new military service – the U.S. Space Force. And he promised to continue to build military combat readiness in preparation for future wars potentially with rival powers such China and Russia.

“Mr. President, thank you, sir, for your confidence in me and this incredible opportunity. It is an honor of a lifetime to be appointed secretary of defense and to lead the greatest military in history,” Esper said. “Today, we are ready to face any challenge, anytime, anywhere as we continue to stand guard around the world.”

dickstein.corey@stripes.com Twitter: @CDicksteinDC

author picture
Corey Dickstein covers the military in the U.S. southeast. He joined the Stars and Stripes staff in 2015 and covered the Pentagon for more than five years. He previously covered the military for the Savannah Morning News in Georgia. Dickstein holds a journalism degree from Georgia College & State University and has been recognized with several national and regional awards for his reporting and photography. He is based in Atlanta.

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world.

Sign Up Now